I am flying into Madrid a few days before heading to Sarria to start my camino. I am doing carry-on luggage, so don't want to check in my trekking poles. So I will buy them in Madrid. Any suggestions of stores in Madrid to purchase trekking poles? I am staying near the Puerta del Sol.
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
Why not get them in Sarria, where there are plenty of stores catering to pilgrims? I know I walked past several of them last May when we walked through.
Posted by
Barcelona + Sweden
4180 posts
Try Decathlon, this is our main sporting goods store in Spain. They have several locations in Madrid, and most major cities.
Posted by
Chicago, IL, USA
487 posts
Another idea I used for a trip last year for some things that weren't practical to include in my luggage, is Amazon. I used Amazon in France. But there is Amazon in Spain too. www.amazon.es. I had my things delivered to a "locker" nearby where I was staying as I wasn't in a hotel. The "locker" was actually a small shop in the small town who apparently did a brisk business with Amazon as dozens of packages were stashed in every empty nook in the store. It took a little bit of time on the website to translate to English and change the delivery location to France. But it worked great. I could check out all the specs on line of what I wanted. I could track the package on my Amazon account. If you would rather not do Amazon you could also look into whether Decathlon as suggested above has online shopping for delivery to your hotel or for pick up at a store.
Posted by
OP
Walnut Creek, CA
605 posts
Thank you all for your answers. Exactly what I was looking for. I did not know Decathlon was a major sporting goods store in Spain. Now I know. There are several near my hotel. that seems like the best place for my situation. So that's where I will go.
The reason I want to buy in Madrid, is because I have several days there to sightsee, walk around, and I have the time to leisurely shop around. Once I get to Sarria, I have one night, and I start the walk the next day. Also, since I am in Madrid first, I thought it was better to shop early and if that fails, then Sarria would be the other opportunity.
Posted by
Vancouver, BC, Canada
1313 posts
Posted by
Hudson Valley
2267 posts
The Decathalon on Hortaleza, above Gran Via, is a large store. (There was one closer to Sol, which may still show up on maps, but it was small, and has closed.)
Posted by
Frankfurt, Germany
9220 posts
Buen Camino Derek.
I will be walking through Sarria on 24 May, so perhaps our paths will cross.
Posted by
Australia
1072 posts
El Corte Ingles has trekking poles. We saw some near the hunting gear yesterday in Madrid.